Complementary/Integrative Cancer Care

Cancer is a complex disease. Therefore, a comprehensive approach should be taken in addressing all forms of cancer. At GMA, we advise our patients to consider an integrative approach to their disease. We are not oncologists but we do treat patients with cancer. Our goal is to nourish the body and help fortify the immune system so as to stimulate the body’s own natural healing responses.  In this effort, we combine the best of conventional medicine with our integrative approach to form a comprehensive system of care for the patient.

At the first visit, we try to understand the underlying factors in the patient’s journey from wellness to illness or disease. We then recommend a program that is tailored to the patient.

Our integrative approach consists of:

1. Nutritional counseling
2. Relaxation techniques;
3. Meditation
4. Infusion therapies
5. Potent supplements

Our infusion program consists of: High-dose vitamin C; Alpha lipoic acid; EDTA chelation therapy; Nutritional infusions – megavitamins; and many other intravenous infusions.

In addition to vitamin C infusions, we provide intravenous Magnesium as well as intravenous Glutathione. Magnesium infusions correct any deficiencies that may be present. It is also beneficial for muscle pain, headaches, and anxiety. Glutathione is beneficial in a wide range of conditions including neurologic symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease, metal and environmental toxicity, and impaired liver detoxification.

As mentioned earlier, cancer is a complex disease and therefore no one thing is often effective by itself in treating cancer. Likewise, in integrative cancer care, intravenous, high-dose vitamin C (IVC)  is not considered a “stand-alone” therapy. It is one part of a comprehensive package that includes dietary, nutritional, and lifestyle changes that support wellness. IVC is used with traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy in some cases.

There are numerous examples of conventional cancer treatment where remission is achieved only to have recurrence of the cancer months to years later. Cancer cells are “outlaw” cells where they rebel against the laws of cell death or apostasies. They also carry out micro-metastasis, which would not be detected at the time of remission but only to bloom years later and cause recurrence of disease that oftentimes is worse than the initial disease. For these reasons, it is prudent to fortify the body and give all the advantages possible to prevent recurrence and help the patient enjoy a good quality of life.

VITAMIN C AND CANCER

At Grace Medical, we do intravenous high dose vitamin C infusions for a variety of medical conditions, including cancer.

Our goal is to help those patients who are struggling with long term medical problems, who often have very limited options in terms of treatment and improved quality of life. It has been reported in the medical literature that there are many medical conditions that may benefit from Intravenous Vitamin C (IVC) therapy.

A lot has been written about the effectiveness of vitamin C in health and disease. Vitamin C is effective in maintaining health as well as in treating various disease states, including cancer. The effectiveness of this vitamin in cancer has been demonstrated more than sixty years ago by Dr. Frederick Klenner who wrote about 27 papers on vitamin C from the 1940’s through the 1970’s. Later, Dr. Linus Pauling also showed the effectiveness of this vitamin in many disease states including cancer. There have been reports stating that vitamin C is ineffective in preventing or ameliorating the ravages of disease. On the contrary, when one searches the literature, one would find that there is a mounting and impressive body of evidence showing the importance of this vitamin in many medical conditions.  More than 90 epidemiologic studies (1) have looked into the effectiveness of Vitamin C and vitamin-C rich foods in cancer prevention.

Vitamin C plays an important role in various biological functions in the body. Vitamin C is well known as an antioxidant. However, it has many other functions in the body. It is a powerful free radical scavenger and a good chelating agent of heavy metals and other environmental toxicants. Other functions of vitamin C include the synthesis of hormones, neurotransmitters and other substances in the body. It functions to boost the immune system. Its antioxidant effects are important in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. These are also important in lungs, bones and other systems in the body.

 Vitamin C exhibits anti-cancer properties in several ways:

(i)    It scavenges cancer-causing free radicals;

(ii)  It regenerates active Vitamin E in lipid membranes;

(iii)  It enhances IgA, IgG, and IgM antibody levels;

(iv)  It neutralizes cancer-causing agents like nitrites and nitrosamines

(v)   It modulates interferon synthesis

(vi)  It possesses anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties and thereby able to prevent and treat cancers of bacterial or viral origin

(vii) It increases synthesis of Prostaglandins PGE1, which is anti-inflammatory and inhibits synthesis of PGE2

(viii) It enhances lymphocytic function as well as the rapid mobilization of phagocytes

(ix)  High dose vitamin C produces hydrogen peroxide which is toxic to cancer cells but harmless to normal cells.

In the early days of vitamin C research, Dr. Klenner gave both oral and intravenous vitamin C to a wide range of patients with a myriad of medical problems from bacterial and  viral infections,  to cancer. His results were amazing. Decades later, the double Noble Laureate, Dr. Linus Pauling also studied and used vitamin C both in oral and IV forms in a variety of medical conditions. His results were equally impressive. Dr. Gladys Block of the University of California did an analysis of 90 epidemiological studies which looked at Vitamin C or vitamin-C rich foods(1). The vast majority of these studies found statistically significant protective effect. There was strong evidence for protection against cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, and pancreas. These are particularly deadly cancers with extremely poor prognosis, especially pancreatic cancer. There was substantially positive effect against breast, cervical and rectal cancers in that analysis. Furthermore, there was strong evidence for protection against lung cancer, bladder, prostate, and colorectal cancers. This is a very impressive record for this vitamin.

Some of the controversy about the effectiveness of this vitamin comes as a result of improper dosing. It has been know that while orally administered vitamin C is effective in many conditions, intravenously administered vitamin C is much more potent. Some studies have used or looked at orally administered vitamin C and concluded that it was not effective. Orally administered vitamin C is actually very different from the IV form. Intravenously administered form has about 50 to 70 times more serum concentration of the vitamin compared to orally administered dose for dose. A big difference between orally administered vitamin C and the intravenously administered type is that there is a tight control in the amount of vitamin C that can be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Hence with orally administered vitamin C, a ceiling is reached in the amount absorbed even when the maximum tolerated dose is give. IV vitamin C on the other hand, is not limited by this tight control. Furthermore, very high doses can be given intravenously to achieve therapeutic serum concentrations without any side effects.

How Does high dose Vitamin C work?

When we say high dose vitamin C we are talking about doses from 30, 40, 50 or 60 grams and above. At Grace Medical, we have doses of vitamin C up to 100 grams without untoward or side effects.

Researchers have shown that high dose intravenously administered vitamin C produces hydrogen peroxide in the body. Vitamin C is also very similar to glucose (see figures below) and cancer cells avidly take up glucose. When vitamin C is mistaken for glucose by the cancer cell and is taken up by them, it produces hydrogen peroxide which does not harm normal cells but kills cancer cells.

At Grace Medical, we do intravenous high dose vitamin C infusions for a variety of medical conditions, including cancer. We follow the Riordan protocol. (see below)

In summary, vitamin C is effective in preventing common infections to life threatening cancer. Oral supplementation is effective for health maintenance. However, if one has a serious challenge to one’s health, something like cancer and severe autoimmune disease or infection, then intravenous vitamin C should be a major component in ones treatment regimen. At Grace Medical Association, we do IV vitamin C for a wide range of medical conditions.

REFERENCES

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More on Vitamin C

The Nobel prize-winning scientist Dr. Linus Pauling was among the first to recognize the importance of high-dose vitamin C supplementation more than 30 years ago. Since then, scientists have amassed impressive evidence supporting the numerous benefits of high-dose vitamin C.

Dr. Linus Pauling noted that vitamin C is a critically important water-soluble antioxidant, as it protects proteins and lipids from free radical damage associated with infection, intensive exercise, and other stressors that can injure cells. These very properties make vitamin C a valuable agent for improving immune function. By suppressing oxidative stress, vitamin C increases the life span of immune cells and reduces infection-related cellular damage. This bolsters the immune system’s ability to fend off a broad range of infectious agents.

Interestingly, research has clearly demonstrated that during times of infection, concentrations of vitamin C are rapidly depleted in the blood and in white blood cells. Scientists have found that supplementation with vitamin C improves several important parameters of immune function. Therefore, supplementing with vitamin C during infection may protect immune cells and strengthen their ability to fight infectious pathogens.

Vitamin C Helps Prevent and Fight Infections

Vitamin C not only speeds recovery from infections, but more important, may also help to prevent the onset of infections. Study after study has shown that vitamin C can dramatically reduce infection time as well as boost one’s resistance to infections. For example, studies of vitamin C supplementation in military personnel and other subjects living in close quarters have shown that pneumonia occurred a remarkable 80-100% less often in subjects taking vitamin C than in those who did not supplement with the vitamin.

High Dose Vitamin C IV Therapy involves the intravenous infusion of high doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). The initial dose may be 15 or 25 grams and, if this is well tolerated, which is almost always the case, the dose is increased to 50 grams. In some cases the dose may be increased to 75 or 100 grams, or more. It can resolve both acute and chronic bacterial and viral infections, neutralize a wide variety of toxic substances and is a very safe and effective detoxifier of heavy metals. Recently, High Dose Vitamin C IV Therapy has been proven to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

An enormous amount of scientific literature on vitamin C has been written over the past century, much of it from the most esteemed research Clinics. According to Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D, in his excellent book Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases & Toxins, “there are very few human diseases or medical conditions that are not improved to at least some degree by the regular dosing of optimal amounts of vitamin C. There is only rarely a good reason for not immediately giving any patient large doses of vitamin C…” He continues. “Ultimately, it should become apparent to the reader that Vitamin C is the single most important nutrient substance for the body…” and “the scientific literature… clearly shows the vast clinical superiority of intravenous vitamin C over any other form of vitamin C administration. Often a significantly smaller dose of intravenous vitamin C, compared to an oral administration, will promptly result in the clinical resolution of an infectious disease.”

A recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that high concentrations of vitamin C had anticancer effects in 75 percent of the tested cancer cell lines. Non-cancerous cells were unaffected. Tumor weight was reduced by 41-53 percent in animals with advanced cancer.